Willis Grant Uhls, known to family as “Grant,” was born on
November 26, 1946, in Pueblo, Colorado, to William and Dorothy
(Brown) Uhls. Soon after the family moved to South Dakota where
Dorothy’s dad, Emery Grant Brown, was a manager for a cattle
ranch. After about six months, the family moved to California.
Grant’s father, who was in the Army reserves, was called up to
active duty in October of 1948. At the same time, Grant’s only
sister, Norrienne, was born prematurely. The family followed
William to Fort Lewis, Washington, after Norrienne was released
from the hospital. In 1951, William went to Korea and the family
returned to California where Grant went to Kindergarten. After
William’s return, the family moved back to Colorado. The next
move was during Grant’s third grade year when he, his mother,
and sister moved to Buffalo, South Dakota to be with Dorothy’s
parents while William was deployed to Iceland. After William
returned home, the next assignment was in Kansas, where the
family stayed for five years before being transferred to Dachau,
Germany when Grant was a freshman. Grant attended Munich
American High School. Although a regular overseas tour is three
years, William extended for a year so Grant could graduate.
Dorothy remarked, “Being a military family isn’t easy and
usually entails lots of moves when you make a career of it. Even
though Grant went to many different schools, he always took it
in stride.”

When he was young, Grant was a Cub Scout and played Little
League baseball. While in high school, Grant was active in
football, wrestling, and baseball. He even made the Munich All
Stars baseball team. He also loved airplanes. He once was a
member of a model airplane club; they would spend the week
fixing up airplanes and then on weekends would fly them. He
graduated from high school in 1964 and the family returned to
the United States to Spearfish, South Dakota, where Dorothy’s
parents were living. From there Grant entered the United States
Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado, having received
his appointment through South Dakota’s Congressional delegation.

Grant’s mother, Dorothy, described him as “easy going yet
diligent.” He always paid attention and did well in school,
partly because of his military upbringing. Grant had lots of
friends and enjoyed life. At the Air Force Academy Grant
participated in intramural sports until he hurt his leg and knee
in wrestling, which scared him because he didn’t want anything
to stop him from becoming a pilot. Grant graduated from the USAF
Academy in June of 1968 and was commissioned as a second
lieutenant. He went on to a year of pilot training at Luke Air
Force Base in Arizona where he was promoted to first lieutenant
on December 5, 1969, just prior to being sent to Vietnam on
December 11, stationed at Cam Rahn Bay Air Force Base, Republic
of South Vietnam as a Forward Air Controller (FAC) in the 21
Tactical Air Support Squadron. After he completed his first
tour, he was asked to extend to become a Forward Air Controller
in the 56 Special Operations Wing, the Ravens, based out of
Udorn RTAFB, Thailand. Their highly dangerous, classified,
covert operation was to fly into Laos to support Laotians who
were engaged in a struggle with the invading North Vietnamese. A
book called the Ravens by Christopher Robbins chronicles their
story.

Captain Willis Grant Uhls was shot down over Laos on February
11, 1971, and was first declared missing in action. His family
waited and waited for any further word on his fate. Six months
later, they decided to have a memorial service for him at the
Air Force Academy. His mother remembers that they had barely
returned to California when they received the telegram that his
body had been recovered and sent back to Oakland. His family
returned once more to the Academy when Grant Uhls was buried
with military honors in a small private service.

Among his many honors, Captain Uhls was awarded the Purple
Heart with an Oak Leaf Cluster, the Air Medal with three Oak
Leaf Clusters, the Silver Star with an Oak Leaf Cluster, and the
Distinguished Flying Cross with an Oak Leaf Cluster. There are
many remembrances at www.vvmf.org
in honor of Grant Uhls; this one was posted by Jim Mittica:

Grant and I were classmates at Munich
American High School, Munich, Germany during the school year
1963-64. We were also on the wrestling team together. I
remember Grant as a mature, serious minded young man whom
all his classmates genuinely liked. He was an intense
athlete and performed very well on the wrestling mat. He
went on to graduate from the U.S. Air Force Academy, become
a pilot and give his life for his country. I am proud to
have known him for that brief time so long ago.

Grant Uhls is survived by his mother, Dorothy Brown Uhls,
Florence, Oregon; and his sister, Norrienne Uhls, Twin Falls,
Idaho. His father, William, passed away in 1988. Dorothy wrote
in closing, “Needless to say it has been a devastating
experience and it is as bad today almost as it was when it
happened.”

This entry was respectfully submitted by Julia Hennen and
Keeva Grass, 8th grade, Spearfish Middle School, Spearfish,
South Dakota, on April 24, 2006. Information for this entry was
provided by www.vvmf.org and
Dorothy Uhls, mother. Profile approval by Dorothy Uhls.

Photos courtesy
of the U.S. Army, the National Archives and Records Administration,
the Dedication Committee, and veterans
who have submitted
their photos for use
in conjunction with the Vietnam War Memorial Dedication.